Asturian Miner to address the Unite the Resistance conference

19 June 2012

The images are reminiscent of the great miners’ strike in Britain of 1984 -85.

But now the Spanish miners in Asturias, Leon, Galicia and Aragon are in a life and death struggle. Thousands are on strike defending their jobs and communities.

The miners have been on strike for three weeks in an attempt to force the government to negotiate.

Mass pickets and clashes have taken place almost daily, with miners saying they have nothing left to lose. They are marching on the capital Madrid and have defended their picket lines from police attack with firework rockets, mass pickets and barricades made of tyres.

Subsidies to the coal industry are one of the major casualties of the austerity measures brought in by the conservative Rajoy government, which took power in December.

Unite the Resistance is proud to announce it will be bring over a striking Asturian miner to address our conference on Saturday.